The Great Lakes Loons are officially headed to the postseason, punching their ticket as the third Dodgers affiliate to clinch a spot in 2026, joining Double-A Tulsa and Class-A Ontario. This squad is on fire, especially thanks to the absolute wizardry we’re seeing from right-hander Cam Leiter, who pitched a masterpiece that sealed their berth.
Leiter Is Pitching Like A Man Possessed
Forget about “good starts” because what Cam Leiter is doing in the Midwest League is next-level ridiculous. In his three starts there, the dude hasn’t given up a single earned run. Seriously, zero. On Saturday night, he straight-up dominated for five scoreless innings, locking down the Great Lakes’ postseason berth with three strikeouts, no walks, and just three singles allowed. You read that right: three K’s, zero free passes, minimal contact. This kid, drafted in the second round back in 2025 out of Florida State, is making a professional debut season to remember. Across both Class-A and High-A this year, Leiter boasts a ridiculous 2.45 ERA with a 30.9 percent strikeout rate over 55 innings. He’s only given up one unearned run in 11 1/3 innings in the Midwest League. That kind of command and pure stuff is a massive boost for the Loons as they eye a deep run.
Comets Walk It Off, Drillers Break Records
But the postseason clinches aren’t the only fireworks in the Dodgers system. Triple-A Oklahoma City absolutely refused to lose, snagging their second straight extra-innings victory. This time, they took down the Round Rock Express in an 11-inning nail-biter. Ryan Fitzgerald was the hero, ripping a sacrifice fly that drove in the game-winner. Starter Charlie Barnes was lights out for five scoreless innings, and even with rehabber Jake Cousins giving up a run, Ben Casparius came in for a scoreless inning in his first appearance in 17 days after battling arm fatigue. Paul Gervase shut it down for the final two scoreless frames, stranding runners like a boss. Oh, and get this: Chris Newell, who just got called up from Tulsa on Friday, made his Triple-A debut on Saturday and ended the game with an absolute gem of a play! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! This guy just walked in and delivered one of the plays of the year in his very first game!
Meanwhile, the Double-A Tulsa Drillers are rewriting the history books, overpowering the Wichita Wind Surge with huge innings in the sixth and seventh. With 814 runs scored on the season, Tulsa has set a new franchise record, blowing past the 2000 team’s 806 runs in 140 games. That’s a 50-year-old record GONE. Jake Gelof is a man on a mission, already having homered three times in this series before adding another three RBI on Saturday with a double and a single. He’s got nine RBI through just five games against Wichita! Logan Wagner and Sean McLain also crushed homers in the win. While Patrick Copen gave up three runs in his six innings, the Drillers rallied back for three in the sixth and four in the seventh to close it out.
The Dodgers system is stacked with talent right now, and with Great Lakes, Tulsa, and Ontario all locked into the postseason, the excitement is only going to build. Keep your eyes peeled for these prospects, because they are clearly ready to make some noise as the postseason approaches.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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